Of Plants and Priests
by WhitePhoenixRyoko
Summary: Plants are falling victim to an unknown virus, and it's affecting Vash as well. As the illness slowly gets worse and worse, Wolfwood begins to believe that there's more to the sickness than meets the eye. WV shounen ai
1. Chapter I

A/N: ......aaaaaaaaaaannd wheeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! EVERYBODY DO THE FIRST-FANFIC-TO-BE-POSTED FUNKY CHICKEN DANCE!!!!! ::looks around to see everyone staring at her wierdly:: What?

I just want to say that this has no yaoi as of yet, butit does have plenty of fluffy shounen-ai, and I'm looking forward to some soft yaoi in future chapters, though. Fluff is _goooood._ Oh, and **_VIVA LA VASH/WOLFWOOD!!!!! _**And this is told from Wolfwood's POV. ((bwaaahahahaha! Meh iz n da ficcy! ::does the chicken dance::)) SHADDAP. Or no b33r. Oh and btw, that was my Drunk Vash muse-like dude. ((::pouts::))

One more thing: This was originally a one-shot at Vash/Wolfwood, but I'm reconsidering that. One more thing: **YAOI GOOD FOR RYOKO!!!!!**

Disclaimer: Me no own. You no sue. okeys? OKEYS!!!

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**Chapter I**

I sat by the window, boredly looking off into space as I listened to the evening sattelite. The last report cought my attention with: "..And finally, experts confirmed earlier today that 25 of the plants have been attacked by some type of virus. Civilians said they were fully operational in the morning, but now, several have died, and those remaining barely have any energy..." Just as the reporter was finishing, the door swung open, and there stood Vash, leaning heavily on the door frame. His face was flushed, his eyes were half-lidded, and it looked as if it took all his energy just to stand. "Wolfwood, I-" He gasped, but as he began to take a step toward me, his last reserves of strength failed him, and Vash collapsed on the floor with a dull thud. I exclaimed, "VASH!" and was instantly at the Humanoid Typhoon's side.

Gently turning Vash onto his side, I asked, "You okey, Vash? What happened?" "I...I donno....been feelin' kinda tired all d-" Vash was abuptly cut off by a series of body-racking coughs, blood flying from his mouth. Minutes later, after the fit had finally subsided, his body went into a bit of a tremble. I carefully gathered him in my arms and stood up, taking note of the sharp gasp that escaped his lips; even before Vash had stepped inside, I knew something was going seriously wrong. Just as I was about to walk out of the front entrance and into the hallway, Meryl poked her head out of the hallway and into the room. "Hey, what's with all the noi-" She stopped upon seeing me with a semi-concious Vash in my arms and cried angrily, "What'd you do to him?!" "Nothing; he just collapsed-" " 'Collapsed' my ass!" "You callin' me a liar?!" "Why wouldn't I?!" "No....Meryl..." Meryl and I stopped argueing to look down at the blonde in my arms. Vash was breathing heavily and still trembling a little, but he faintly continued. "Wolfwood's right........I did collapse." "And he's sick," I added, looking over at the puddle of blood on the floor, "which is why I'm carrying him." With that, I walked into the hall, past a few doors, past Millie's and Meryl's room, into the room Vash and shared, and carefully lie him down on his bed.

Vash's face was now all pink, and as he undid his jacket with unsteady fingers, he murmured tiredly, "W.....Where's Millie?" "Out buying some more pudding, probably." He chuckled a little, abruptly stopping when he felt pain lace through his chest. I sat down on my bed, taking the Bible out of the nightstand and putting it up as if I was reading it, when in reality, I'm just doing it so Vash can change into his pajamas without anyone looking. I turn a page and say, "You heard the satellite?" "No...what about it?" "Somethin's happenin' to a fourth of the plants; some kind of virus. They were perfectly fine this morning, but now, lots of them are barely able to make the slightest movement." "Yeah?" I heard the rustle of blankets being moved, and put down the Bible to see Vash sitting up in bed, his green eyes looking at me intently. I sighed heavily, came over to him, and sat beside him on the edge of his bed. "What is it?" He asked, the look of genuine worry written across his face. I take a breath and look up at him. "Vash.....several of those plants died."

Vash looked down at his hands, murmuring simply, ".......oh..." I saw his lips move a bit, but what he said was barely above a whisper, and more to himself than to anyone else. "Sisters..." I thought he said, and his lower lip began to tremble a bit, eyes filling to the brim with tears before breaking free and rolling down his face, dripping onto the blankets. It really hurt to see him cry, and I did the first thing that came to me: I wrapped my arms around him.

Vash leaned into me and began to cry freely into my shoulder, letting his sobs shake his slim form. I gently stroked his spiky blonde hair, whispering comforting words all the while. After a few minutes of this, his sobs softened, and he let his head rest on my shoulder. ".....Vash?" "Hm?" He looked up at me, tears still shining in his eyes, and I fondly kissed him on the lips. Vash started in surprise, but leaned into the kiss, closing his eyes, his tongue brushing against my lower lip. Tears started to run from his closed eyes, and I held him closer.

The feeling....it was indefinable. The kiss I shared with Vash was soft and comforting, like fresh hot chocolate on a cold winter's night. Neither of us wanted to pull away as time seemed to freeze in that kiss, but, minutes later, we did. Vash let his head rest on my shoulder and murmured, "You shouldn't be taking advantage of a wounded man, Nick..." I smiled and ran my fingers though his hair. "There's a difference between 'taking advantage of' and 'comforting,' Needlenoggin." "Are you _sure_?" He countered, his head lifted slightly off me, eyebrows raised and grinning mischeviously. I cuffed Vash lightly above the ear and replied, "Hey! Vash, don't ruin the moment!" I looked at him as he let his head slowly fall back to my shoulder and added, "You're smiling again; it looks good on you." Vash smiled a little more, and even though it was a tired smile, I could tell by looking into his eyes that there was true feeling behind it.

I noticed an unshed tear in the corner of Vash's eye and reached up, wiping it away with my thumb. As I gently started to rock him, Vash whispered tiredly, "...Wolfwood?" "Hm?" "....thank you.." "Think nothin' of it, Needlenoggin." I ruffled his hair and continued to rock him. After a few minutes of this, Vash's breathing evened out and he began to snore softly, fast asleep. I carefully lie him down on the bed and, before turning to climb into my own bed, kissed Vash lightly on the forehead and breathed, "G'night."

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((;.; u bashd me.....)) ::smirk:: I know I did, my lecherous, donut-loving, hentai, muse-like Drunkie. ((ADN PROUD OF ITZ!!!!! ::puffs out chest::)) --U Quit yer monkeying around and get on w/the endin' stuffs. ((Thne gimme b33r.)) FINE. Now, for the love of lemon, DO IT ALREADY, DV. ((okie-dokies! R&R, pplz!!!)) Oo ...Remind me to keep you from infilterating my brain the next time I type a fanfic. Anyways, R&R everyone. And don't fear -OR FLAME OR STEAL OR HURT- my Drunk Vash muse-like dude. I love that little pervert.....even though he rarely gives me any good advice... --U

Ah yes, and as an autheress, I need **I-FREAKIN'-DEAS FOR THIS FANFIC'S FUTURE CHAPTERS!!!!!** Gimme ideas!!!!! **_AND I'M NOT KIDDING ABOUT THE "I-FREAKIN'-DEAS" THING!!!!!_** _Seriously,_ if you have any ideas for future chapters for this fanfic, tell me them in your review, lest this fanfic be _discontinued!_ And I'm sure we don't want that, _do we?_ ::smiles innocently::

And, this being my first-posted fanfic, please, please, _please _don't flame me. If you do, all flames will be used on Vicious from Cowboy Bebop. Or to cook marshmallows. Or both. HAW!!! XD


	2. Chapter II

A/N: Ok, peoples! After a _looooooooong_ wait for you guys and a _looooooooong_ period of writer's block (and lack of ideas for this fanfic), I've finally gotten my ideas and thoughts together and typed up this chappie! GO ME! ((:eye twitch: w0w...u l3ft teh fnafic sitttng 4 a l0000ng tyme...))Yeah; I know, DV. ANYWAYS! Here's my replies to you wonderful reviewers!

**fujisti stytghi:** Sankuu! I'm glad you like it! And I don't want to spoil anything, so you'll just have to wait and see for yourself!

**animestlkr: **:gives a box of tissues: Now now, don't cry! (And he's _Yasuhiro Nightow's_ poor Vash!)

**WolfbanesHybrid:** :sweatdrop: Um...I was serious about the "I-FREAKIN-DEAS" thing at the end. And yep, the plot bunnies are comin'; don't worry!

**Leia:** :blushes: Aww...it wasn't _that_ perfect! Yeah; I had lotsa fun typing that part. Anyways, arigato (thank you) for commenting!

**trigirl48:** _FINALLY!_ SOMEONE _ACTUALLY_ UNDERSTOOD THE "I-FREAKIN-DEAS" THING AND GAVE ME AN IDEA! Arigato gozaimasu (thank you very much) for the idea! Don't worry; I've got plenty of ideas for upcoming chappies!

**FireChibi:** :grin: Not necisarily, no...you'll just have to wait and see!

**Tongari0104721:** Yeah, I know it's a big difference...my bad. :sweatdrop: Anyway, thanks for the help! Don't worry, I won't discontinue it!

Ok, here's a little heads-up for those of you who have weak stomachs: there's throwing up later in this chapter, and I'm pretty sure that the majority of you know who's doing the vomiting. And this chappie starts off in Wolfwood's point of view. On another note, y'all know the rule: No flames, no claims, flames'll be used on Vicious, me no own, you no sue. Now, ONWARD TO CHAPPIE TWOOOO!

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**Chapter II**

Morning came swiftly, finding me sprawled out on my bed, blankets kicked off (as usual). I was awakened by the sound of heavy breathing, and glanced over at Vash's bed. To my surprise, there he was on the floor beside his bed, doing his routine morning exercises.

"Um...Spikey?"

"Yeah?"

"You sure you're well enough to do that?"

Vash stared at me blankly, "What d'you mean 'well enough?' "

"I mean, aren't you still sick?"

"What're you talking about? I'm fine!" Vash replied in confusion.

"Don't you even remember being sick last night?"

"...I was?"

"Yes, in fact, you were, Vash; quit playing stupid."

"I'm _not_ playing stupid! I don't know what you're talking about!"

Just as I opened my mouth to snap back at him, I noticed the look of pure confusion on his face, and abruptly closed it with a, "Never mind...but do you remember _anything_ about last night?"

"No; why?"

"...no reason..." _He probably doesn't even remember that kiss..._

With that, Vash sat up and padded off to the bathroom, coming back shortly afterward with a towel draped around his shoulders. He sat down on his bed and, wiping sweat from his face, said, "We'd better move on before we get held back...and before the girls find out that we're leaving; I don't want to drag them into trouble, too."

I nodded groggily, stretching like a cat before swinging my legs over the side of my bed. In no time, both of us were up and dressed, but just as we were about to go, Millie and Meryl appeared in our doorway, packed and ready to go.

_'Damn those thin walls; they must've overheard us,'_ I cursed mentally.

Without further ado, we trudged outside to find out that we had missed the bus, and set out to travel those few iles between this town and the next on foot. Just as we left, I cought a satellite report filtering out of a bar's open window:

"...local engineers were astounded late last night when the supposedly 'dead' plants awoke, and all other plants that were striken with the virus instantly revived themselves...unable to explain the amazing recovery..."

--------(shift of POV)--------

(flashback)

The first time it happened, I lost 'conciousness' and had more or less of a 'seizure.' All those doctors had flooded into my room, and the immence flow of thoughts buffeted my mind like hurricane winds. _They_ were all fascinated by me. I didn't know why; they just _were_. Perhaps it was the fact that I had been born 'asleep' that intrigued them. Or maybe it was because I didn't have to eat or exercise like they did; I ate by absorbing nutrients through my skin, and I exercised by thinking of running and jumping and walking. Or maybe it was because Mama and Papa left me. Anyway, _they_ always wanted to conduct experaments on me; however, I didn't allow it. Each time they approached me with a scalpel, I blocked out their thoughts from mine and made them drop their vile instruments on the floor. It took me 3 years to perfect this ability, and it took _them_ those same 3 years to come to the realization that no matter how hard they tried, they would never be able to touch me. When they all came to the same realization, they left me in a dark room, suspended in a large tank of blue liquid.

They forgot about me, and for a year, I lay dormant in that dark room. No one visited me, save the occasional nurse. From those nurses, however, I learned, and by the time I was 4 years of age, I knew more than a human man who was 5 times older than me.

In that year of seclusion, I gathered information of the 'outside world' from the minds of the nurses that visited me. I learned of the binary suns, the vast desert landscape, and of the many moons. I didn't like the landscape I learned of, but one day, I learned of the landscapes that one elderly nurse had read about in a book. These landscapes were on a planet named 'Earth.' With these new images fresh in my mind, I began to create my own world. When I started building it, it was nothing but a vast expance of darkness with me floating in the center of it all. In time, I completed it, and learned how to make its landscape change to a different one. My world's sky was dark navy-black, and floating across it were dark, whispy violet clouds; there were 5 moons, and little pinpricks of light called 'stars' dotting the dark sky. I could make grassy fields, change them to white sandy beaches with water gently lapping the shore, then make them into a vast savannah plain with bulging stout baobab trees here and there, and there were several more landscapes I could mention, but won't take the time to now.

Also, during the time I was shut off from the rest of the world, I became more and more aware of the strange powers I posessed. I learned how to do more than just make people drop things; in time, I learned how to cause unnatural occurrences in places several iles away. I tested these powers on the doctors who once tormented me; the tables were turned, and it was_ I _who was conducting experaments on _them_. For one doctor, I made his house catch fire, killing him and his family in the inferno. For another, I made him gruesomly kill himself. For yet another, I created an unidentified virus in him, eventually making him die from a benign brain tumor.

That all changedthe day whenOnii-chan came to take me away from that terrible hospital.

When he entered my room, I became frightened, and thinking he was a doctor, sent a shockwave of pain at him; I don't know how, but he evaded it. I began to panic as he came closer to my glass prison, and screamed frantically at him in my mind. Then, he sent a mental picture to me, and appeared in the world in my mind.

I ran through a forest as fast as my legs could carry me, and, feeling helpless, I stopped, crouched down beside an oak tree, curled into a ball, and began to cry in frustration and fear. He said quietly, "It's alright, Aislinn; I'm not here to hurt you."

"Please, leave me alone! I don't want you here! Just go away!"

"Aislinn..."

I looked up at him, blinking back tears. His face was like that of a young adult, devoid of wrinkles, and his eyes were an astounding shade of icy blue. His hair was short, brushed back and spiked up, light, and blonde with a darker blonde blaze in the front. He knelt down in front of me and extended a hand. I tried to move away from him, but I was trapped between him and the oak tree.

"No...please don't touch me!"

"It's alright; I'm not another doctor. I'm not going to hurt you; I promise."

I cringed as I felt his hand brush against my tear-dampened cheek, but slowly relaxed as he wiped my tears away. As my sobs softened, I murmured, "How do you know my name?"

"I've been watching you for a long time now; you're a very special girl."

"You're not...going to experament on me, are you?"

"No; as I said, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Then...why're you here?"

"I came to take you away from this place, and I want to know if you'd like to help me."

"H-Help you...with what?"

(end of flashback)

That was a couple months ago. I don't live in the hospital any more; I now live with Onii-chan. I live in a different tank full of blue fluid, but this fluid is essential to me; it supplies me with nutrients.

Meanwhile in the world in my mind, I ran across sand dunes, Onii-chan following behind me. My long white-blonde hair and white dress flowed behind me in the wind as I ran. As we came to the beach, Onii-chan said, "I have a question about last night, Aislinn."

"Yes, ani?"

"You didn't really 'kill' the Plants, did you?"

"No, I didn't; don't worry. I only made them 'sleep' until I found out that your brother was leaving the town." I came to where the waves met the shore, and raised my hands, creating a tidal wave. Onii-chan wasn't fazed at all; he had witnessed me doing this before. The tidal wave crashed down upon us, but we weren't thrown back, nor did we suffocate; instead, we walked along the ocean floor, watching as various species of marine life swam around us. As I ran my hand over the smooth skin of a passing dolphin, I continued, "And don't worry; I didn't do much to your brother."

"I hope you didn't use too much of your hate and anger on him."

"Actually, that was only a little taste of it. I could've done worse to him, but I decided that just a little bit of hate was enough for then."

"And you'll use more next time?"

"Right. And a bit more after that, and so on."

"As long as you don't kill him..."

"I won't. I'll follow your wishes: to make him feel the pain and suffering of the consiquences of his actions. And to give him a taste of the sinners that make up mankind." I scowled as I thought of those stupid doctors and of how Mama and Papa abandoned me.

Then, a multi-colored fish approached us. My scowl quickly changed to a smile as I reached up to touch him; however, the fish was swimming too high for me to reach. Seeing this, Onii-chan picked me up, lifting me to the fish. I put up my index finger, giggling as the fish came closer and 'kissed' it. Onii-chan smiled and said, "Someday, Aislinn, you'll get to see real animals."

"But if I see real animals, then there'll be real people. And the people will become interested in me and try to dissect me like those doctors."

"I'll die before I allow someone to hurt you."

"...I don't want you to die, Onii-chan."

"Then I won't. And by the way, what do you have planned for my brother today, Aislinn?"

"You'll see. You'll see, Onii-chan."

--------(shift of POV: Wolfwood's POV)--------

We continued to trudge through the desert, and though we had been walking for about two hours now, we still hadn't cought sight of the next town on the horizon. The suns were steadily getting worse as their rays beat down on our backs, and I mused that it was only a matter of time until we all ran out of water, shrivelled up, and died from dehydration.

"This is all your fault." Meryl grumbled at Vash and I.

"_Our_ fault! How the hell is it _our_ fault!" I snapped back.

"If you two hadn't slept in, we wouldn't have missed the bus!"

"We weren't planning on travelling with you anyway!"

The day dragged on with arguements and the occasional game to take the edge off our boredom. We tried "I Spy"...

"Ok, I spy with my little eye..."

"Sand."

"Oh! You got it _again_, Sempai! How're you so good at this game?"

"Because sand, rocks, the sky, and the suns are pretty much the only things I can spy."

...then we tried, "Rock, Paper, Scissors," but that game lost interest pretty quickly. We tried telling jokes, but it was a matter of time until we ran out of jokes to tell. Then, we gave up altogether on games and travelled on in silence.

As the day wore on, I reflected upon the past day's turn of events. What made Vash so sick? Did he get it from the plants? Was it just a coincidence that he was sick the same time the plants were? Did he really forget all that happened last night? I wished I knew the answers to these questions.

While I mulled over these several answerless questions, I failed to realize that something wasn't right. The suns were getting worse, and it was slowly nearing the afternoon, the hottest time of day. I was yanked out of my train of thought when Millie remarked, "Um...Sempai? Are you alright?"

I glanced up at the girls, my eyes trailing down to the shortest of the two. As she turned to reply, I realized that Meryl's face was flushed red, sweat gleamed on her face, and she looked exhausted.

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me!"

"But you're sweating so much, Sempai; it's not normal!"

"Um...it's nothing, really! I'm fine! It's just a little hot out here, that's all..."

The taller girl rested a hand on Meryl's forehead and replied, "But you're not ok; you're burning up!"

"Millie, I said I'm fine!" Meryl grumbled, brushing the other girl's hand away. It was in a matter of time that she began to lag behind the rest of us, staggering and breathing heavily. She was even too tired to protest when Millie wrapped her arm around her partner's shoulders, half-supporting her and half-helping her to walk. A little after this, Millie broke the silence with, "Vash-san? Are you feeling ok?"

With that, I turned to look over at Vash; he was looking as sick as Meryl, if not worse. Beads of sweat trickled sluggishly down his face, his face was almost the color of his coat, and he was breathing heavily, his half-lidded eyes fixed on the ground. Vash lethargically turned his head to the tall girl, smiled weakly, and replied, "Yeah; don't worry 'bout me. I'm peachy-keen!" However, in a matter of minutes, he proved himself wrong.

Vash froze and hunched over slightly, a moan slipping from his lips as his hand travelled to his stomach. A second later, he gagged and fell on all fours, vomiting violently in the sand. I almost gagged myself when I saw him throw up, but that notorious reflex was quickly stifled when blood suddenly splattered into the mess that was once the outlaw's breakfast. Pushing aside my disgust, I approached Vash and knelt down beside him, rubbing his back and telling him that it was going to be alright, though I wasn't sure if that was true or not. Vash nodded shakily, and after a minute or two more, the wave of sickness passed, and I was finally able to help him up to his feet. As I kicked clean sand over the soiled sand, Vash glanced over at Millie and moaned miserably, "No, Millie; I'm not ok."

After this brief interlude, we continued on, me holding one of Vash's arms around my shoulder and holding a strap connected to my cross with one hand, and my other arm wrapped around Vash's waist, keeping him from falling. For a long time, Vash was silent, and I payed no attention to this at first.

When he went limp, I was almost certain that something was wrong.

At first, I thought Vash had just fallen asleep, and kept walking. Then I cought a glimps of his face; his eyes were closed as if he were asleep, however, I noticed that his face was an unnatural shade of pale blue. I strained my ears to listen for the sound of his breathing. I didn't hear anything but the desert wind, the muted crunch of sand beneath our feet, and my own heartbeat. My breath cought in my throat when I realized what was wrong with him.

"Hold on," I called back to the girls, coming to a stop.

"What is it, Wolfwood-san?" Millie replied.

"Something's wrong..."

"What...?"

"Something's wrong with Vash."

With that, I gently lie Vash down on the ground before me and knelt down beside him. I leaned down and pressed my ear to his chest; his heartbeat was faint and fluttering, but I didn't feel his chest rise or fall.

"He isn't breathing," I murmured, half to myself and half to the girls.

Then it hit me. Vash had been throwing up earlier, right? And there was blood in there too, right? I knew what happened: as Vash was throwing up, his throat became inflamed and narrowed. Later, the blood started clotting in his throat, eventually causing him to pass out from lack of oxygen.

I didn't care that Millie and Meryl were watching, nor how awkward they might have thought it was. I knew what had to be done, and I was going to help Vash no matter what. With that, I reached over and tilted Vash's head back a bit, and with no further ado, pressed my mouth against his, literally breathing into him. I paused after three breaths and searched for signs of him breathing on his own. My first attempt at reviving him failed, and before I met his mouth with mine once again, I hissed, "C'mon, Spikey; breathe already!"

For several minutes, I tried over and over again to get him to breathe, and was eventually rewarded with a series of forceful hacks from Vash, coughing up dried blood. However, Vash didn't wake up. I tried to shake him awake, but that didn't work either. I began to panic; I knew that if I didn't get Vash to a hospital within an hour, he'd go into a coma. I turned to Millie, about to tell her what was going on. I didn't even have to open my mouth; she nodded, immediatly understanding the urgency of the situation. With that, I gathered the unconcious Vash in my arms (Millie gotmy Cross for me; there was no way I would be able to carry it), and we set off at a sprint (Meryl somehow finding the strength to run), keeping an eye out for signs of a town in the distance.

As I ran, I glanced down at Vash, who, if one didn't know better, looked as if he was sleeping.

"Hang in there, Vash..."

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((wtf did j00 du 2 me!)) --U No, not to _you,_ DV. To Vash in the _fanfic._ ((same diff.)) Not really. ((...char torturer.)) _Moose._ ((st0p m00sin' meh!)) :sigh: BTW, "Onii-chan" and "ani" both mean "big brother" in Japanese. Waaaah...I'm such a bad fangirl...but that's the way the story goes...now don't kill me, fellow Vash fangirls! And leave nice reviews!

:hides in a bomb shelter:


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